Councillor accused of attempted murder set to appear in court

Joseph O’Riordan has been accused of stabbing his wife Amanda on 22nd October. Joseph, or Joe as he is known locally, was arrested after his wife was found with stab wounds just after 10PM.

Mr O’Riordan is a councillor for Polegate North after being re-elected in 2013, beating the UKIP opposition candidate.

The police would not talk to us directly, however a police spokesman said “a 73 year old Polegate man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, and is currently in custody helping police with their enquiries”.

The police have also stated that this is a domestic incident and that they are not looking for anyone else in connection.

O’Riordan is well-known locally and is the president of the Polegate British Legion social club.

One member of the club who wished to remain anonymous felt that Mr O’Riordan had let down the organisation as well as the clubs members.

He said: “This looks bad on us as an organisation. We are a known for our good work with the forces and, especially with Remembrance Sunday coming up, a lot of people are looking at the British legion as a positive force. This doesn’t help the outlook of the organisation.”

When asked about Mr O’Riordan's personality and character, the club member said that “it's not something you would have expected him (O'Riordan) to do. He was popular amongst members of the Legion and Polegate residents.”